Trina Roache
APTN National News
As President Barack Obama prepares to leave the White House, there are thousands of calls from federal inmates across the United States to have their sentences shortened or commuted.
So far Obama has done it for nearly 800 prisoners.
One inmate who is waiting to hear any word from the out-going president is Leonard Peltier.
He was a member of the American Indian Movement – an organization whose members were convicted of killing of Annie Mae Aquash, a Mi’kmaq activist murdered 41 years ago.
While Peltier wasn’t involved in Aquash’s death, her daughter explains why she doesn’t want any kind of clemency for him.
This person is understandably in pain but her logic makes no sense to me…we are going to punish someone further because of heresy and no evidence…this is a dangerous and slippery slope. Shall we just throw every prisoner in jail till they die based on an unproven allegation? This person was not there so I wonder how she has gathered this information? I also urge APTN to do greater research to identify the source of this. I believe if the FBI had even one shred of factual evidence against Mr. Peltier they would certainly have used it such was there desire to see him put away at any cost. This thing has been wrong from day one and this man deserves to go home and hold his grandchildren and relations. Period.
AIM fought for rights at the time but what they did to an indigenous women goes against all traditional values and teaching u are not to have blood on ur hands. Whether he did it or not he knows who killed her and did nothing about it and has not provided details on it of what he really knows. Look at the high ranking members and the trouble thetrouble they had with drug dealing they were not living a traditional life. I don’t think he should spend the rest of his life in jail but for clemency he should come clean with what he really knows.
Mr. Peltier should be released on the following grounds: humanitarian, not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, keeping him in prison for something he was never convicted is contrary to the rule of law and more importantly for lack of jurisdiction.
Regardless of what she thinks she is doing, n demanding that a man who has already spend more than 40 years in prison should also die there, Denise Maloney Pictou, Anna Mae Aquash’s daughter, promotes a legacy of hatred and continued strife. She seem to genuinely believe that Peltier “bad-jacketed” her mother, but there is no evidence that he did.
As the co-author of a German book on Peltier who wrote the part on the murders Peltier is convicted for as well as on Peltier’s trial and appeals process, I am confident to say that his trial was characterized by both prosecutorial misconduct and FBI interference with the truth. The man is certainly not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That alone should be reason enough to release him.
If Maloney Pictou wants him to stand trial for the things she believes he did to her mother, she should try to get him indicted. Anything else, especially keeping him in prison until he dies for something he was never convicted of, is contrary to the rule of law.
It is sad to see that Maloney Pictou, in her courageous fight for indigenous women’s rights, seems to have lost her way when it comes to the issue of clemency for Leonard Peltier.
in my observation…..the main legal argument of “jurisdiction” has not been addressed…the question still remains if Canada and the USA were involved in “assuming” jurisdiction.in regard to extraditing him from indigenous lands in BC…and charging and sentencing him in the US………and for this reason…..they should release him and all other indigenous prisoners in the US and Canada for lack of jurisdiction!
She better stop being emotionally insecure and woman-up and ask for his release. Selfish woman and whining on and on its time to stop it. BTW I am a Native American decent person as well.
the ‘book’ written is dishonest in factual circumstances pertaining to a fool who boasted about how the agent begged for his life and, ‘shot the fucker’ regardless. As a people we need more mentors shedding a positive light such as Denis Pictou Maloney presents in truth, not lies. Furthermore, she spews honesty not hatred nor strife. shAIMsters have spewed hatred and violence towards her, not the other way as you so stupidly state. Pathetic you are, the whole bunch of you and your shAIMster liars